A Flicker in the Dark
by Kyuusaisha Bleeding
Summary: [YuBoWAVE!2]!Boris is unhappy with his current relationship, but doesn't know why. But when a mysterious person comes along, will his candle be lit once more? YAOI


YuBo WAVE!2

Kyuusaisha Bleeding: I am very glad I was able to participate in this. Many thanks to Meg for creating the wonderful title for this and betaing both stories . Enjoy.

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"It was interesting…" Boris said casually, nodding. "There were so many metaphors and symbolism that I couldn't absorb them all. I think that the character was kind of at two places at once…I mean, he was two people at once…because the art-student version was his soul manifesting itself just before the crash because he knew it was going to die, it hoped that someone could save the body, somehow. Maybe we're supposed to know all along that it's pointless because it becomes obvious about halfway through that the professor can't convince this guy not to kill himself," his brow furrowed, as he continued once again. "Or maybe the first part was showing that if the circumstances had been different, everything could have changed. For example; the couple were versions of themselves after the crash, and the boy was a version before the crash, except he was more distant from his fiancée, for some reason…" Bryan then shrugged. "I don't really know. Don't think you're supposed to, anyway. It was a pretty confusing movie." 

His black-haired girlfriend stared at him. She must have expected something like that, so it didn't give her much of a reason to look so incredulous. "Damn, Boris," she offered vacantly.

The people beyond the glass, which surrounded the two, were shrinking rapidly as the elevator rose like a steady hand. The metal palm and glass fingers were currently rising right through the second floor, unnoticed like a ghost, and delicate with its passengers.

"I ask what you thought about the movie, and that's what you came up with?" she chuckled pleasantly, but Boris frowned at her.

"Well, what do you want from me?" he said defensively. "You want I shouldn't really think about the things I see? I shouldn't try to find meaning? Or shall I just ignore you the next time you ask me something, so we can avoid your obvious discomfiture?"

The girl standing next to him in the elevator looked offended by his comment. She raised her hands angrily and automatically. "Whoa, back up! Don't talk to me like that; I was joking around. Sometimes I swear I'm dating a robot…you're so serious and cynical all the time." Her face quickly disappeared in a billowing curtain of hair as she turned away. The lift continued to rise. Glass numbers at the top of the wall brightened consecutively, like fireflies, oblivious to any friction in the air.

Boris grunted, irritated. He knew he was far too mature to take the bait; he also knew she was waiting for him to say it and he knew, without a doubt that it was a stupid and childish thing to do. He willed himself to keep the words from slipping out. But as luck would have it, Boris was feeling particularly childish that day. "'Am not," he mumbled. His arms involuntarily crossed themselves at once.

The black-haired girl seemed intent on continuing their argument. Her shopping bags swung between her painted nails when she whipped around. "Oh, sure you are. Don't you remember, just yesterday, when one of my college friends came over? You barely spoke at all and answered any question with the usual pessimism; it was annoying. Just because you don't like her, doesn't mean you have to turn into an emotionless creep. Where's your coin slot, robot-boy?"

Boris glared and opened his mouth to retaliate, childishly, when the elevator made a cheerful "ding" noise and lurched to a stop. Three people – an old couple and a teenage girl chatting on her cell phone – stepped into the compartment from the crowded shopping plaza. Boris promptly ignored them and carried on saying what he had been about to say.

"You know what? I don't think you have any right to be saying that to me when you have your own issues," he snarled, pointing his finger vehemently towards her. "And besides, since when is twenty four hours – actually, not even that, because thank God we didn't spend all day with that bimbo! Since when is a few hours "all the time"?" Boris quickly waved aside the other "examples" he knew she was going to use to prove he was really _that_ way "all the time". "No, no, I'm sure you have more than enough proof of my _abnormality_, but let's not haul out the scrapbook." He certainly noticed the unwitting guests to the battlefield becoming uneasy, and his girlfriend looking embarrassed, but didn't care and plowed on. "It's not like I want–"

"Now see here, young man!" the old woman demanded, effectively interrupting his momentum. "You leave this nice girl alone, or I'll call the police!"

"I don't see how this is any of your business," said Boris agitatedly. The teen with the cell phone was withdrawing into a corner of the elevator, her conversation forgotten. A muffled "hello?" was coming from the speaker every few seconds.

Before things got out of hand, he decided to leave the elevator. Luckily, at the next floor, the doors chimed happily again. Without waiting for the man standing there in the dark suit to get out of his way, Boris pushed into the crowded mall and onto the sixth floor. A few people around him scoffed, surprised at his brash behavior. He turned around.

"Ok…I'll just…see you later," he growled at the dark-haired girl standing speechless, furious with himself and glaring at anyone who met his eyes.

"A lot later," she corrected him, not leaving the lift. The door slid shut, hiding her angry face, and the metal hand continued its ascent.

Boris clenched his fist. Everyone was staring at him. He cursed.

00

Hours later, Boris was in the park near the apartment they shared. He was sitting on a wooden bench and staring at the ground with his elbows on his knees as his fingers clutched his silvery hair. He was thinking, mostly, because the gravel path wasn't interesting to look at for very long.

Boris brooded over the fact that he and his girlfriend fought so much recently; it was hard to think that they still belonged together. And, though more slowly, he was beginning to realize he was unhappy. But he didn't know why.

A chill wind came up behind him suddenly and he pulled his scarf tighter around his neck. He looked up. The trees were the opposite of him; they undressed as the weather became colder. Hundreds of red and yellow leaves made a carpet for the entire park. The sky had taken on a dark blue tint and gray clouds hid the setting sun and the quarter moon. A streetlamp had just flickered and burnt out.

He sighed.

Boris did not know what to do.

Then, he thought he saw someone walking on the path, towards him out of the shadows of the trees. This person was tall, thin, and graceful. They had hair as red as fire, and almost as bright. They walked slowly, and would occasionally stop at random points on the trail. After several moments, Boris noticed that this was because the person was being led about the path by a large wolfdog.

Boris tried to appear as though he had not just been contemplating a very miserable part of his life, if only to be polite to this person. He sat up straight and pretended to be interested in the clouds. He knew that he looked stiff and mechanical, but most unplanned facades look that way regardless.

The person finally drew level with the birch just before Boris' bench. He glanced at the person's face, shining pale blue in the streetlight. It was a young woman. She was smirking fondly at her dog as it sniffed at the leaves and grass. Her ice blue eyes suddenly flicked up to Boris.

He didn't look away. "'Evening," he said evenly.

She smiled and nodded, "hey."

Boris was curious after hearing her greeting. Her voice was deeper than most girls' voices. It was rich, strong, and suited her perfectly.

The wolfdog seemed to be taking an unusually long amount of time in this spot, so the girl decided to sit down. Boris looked skyward once more. "What's the dog's name?" he said after a few silent moments.

"Oh…it's Arkadiy,"

"It's a very nice dog,"

"…Yeah…thanks," the girl smiled at Boris. He felt his stomach twist involuntarily, and mentally scolded himself for it. "You look sort of familiar…I think I've seen you at the meat shop up the road?"

Boris nodded, "I work there. I'm Boris," he held out his hand.

"Yuri," said the girl warmly, and gave a firm handshake.

"That's a strange name, isn't it?" he asked. Arkadiy smelled his shoes. He extended his hand to the dog's nose, and it seemed not to care much about Bryan's fingers. Bryan took it as a good sign and stroked Arkadiy's soft grey fur.

"Is it?" Yuri replied. "What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't it a guy's name?" Boris sneered slightly.

"Yes…it is," Yuri stared at him as though this was obvious. She waited for Boris to realize his mistake all by himself.

"You're not a girl…Oh, shit, I'm sorry," he said quietly, his eyes wide. "I can't believe I just did that…"

"What gave it away? The fact that I have no breasts? Or maybe the five-o' clock-shadow?" Yuri pointed to his chin. He laughed, "No, don't worry about it. This isn't the first time it's happened."

Boris shook his head, "Man…do I feel like an ass."

"I'm sure you do," Yuri agreed happily. He reached out to Arkadiy, scratching behind the dog's ear. Another cold breeze snuck up behind the two sitting on the bench. Neither noticed it. A crisp orange leaf, carried by the wind, landed on the space of bench between them.

"I love autumn," Yuri commented, lifting the leaf with his palm, high enough for it to be captured by the wind's embrace again. It began to drift from the boy's hand, and suddenly dropped at his feet, to heavy to be swept away. Arkadiy, sitting obediently, twisted around to inspect the leaf and barked.

Boris smiled, though distractedly. But then he found that those other things that were distracting him did not really matter, right now. "Spring has the best weather; lots of rain," he said.

"Lots of rainbows, too," Yuri reminded him.

"I don't care about the rainbows,"

"You're joking? They're so nice. Something bright to look at after all the gray,"

Boris shrugged. "I don't hate them. But they're just light. Light shining on the water. They may be pretty to look at, but they fade quickly," he looked at the darkening clouds, as though expecting to see one to use as an example.

"That's what's so great about them," Yuri waved his hands, gesturing over-dramatically, "that two simple things…combined, can make a beautiful thing like that."

"Yeah, I guess…"

Yuri scoffed, "You're just agreeing to humor me."

"Maybe…" Boris looked away, keeping a straight face, and shrugging innocently. "You know, rainbow in French is _'arc-en-ciel'_. That's probably the only thing I like about rainbows; the French name."

Yuri tapped his lip with his finger, muttering to himself. "Arc, yeah…in…so what does 'ciel' mean?"

"I don't know. I just think it sounds cool," stated Boris simply.

"Yeah, I guess," Yuri chuckled, imitating Boris' earlier comment. "Hey, this is kind of weird. I don't usually talk to people I don't know this much."

"I hardly talk to the people I do know," Boris tried to joke, but his smirk turned into a grimace. He sat up straighter.

"Maybe you don't really know them," Yuri suggested wisely.

Boris had just begun to allow this to sink in, when his cell phone rang in his pocket. He flipped it out. "My girlfriend…"

Yuri looked disappointed. "Better answer that."

"I am…" he stood and stepped a few paces away. Whether this was to give himself privacy or to be courteous to Yuri, the conversation was still clearly audible from the bench. "Alexis?" Boris said brusquely into the phone. There was a rather long pause in which his expression changed from tense to irritated to furious "Yeah, well I………Don't even think about doing a guilt trip on me! Don't you think I was embarrassed too? Damn it, Alexis…………You don't have to tell me. I'm tired of it too……Fine, I…………Yeah, whatever! You know, I don't care anymore……Do whatever you want……………Great…Good bye!"

Yuri sniffed, having bent over to pet his dog the moment he recognized a phone call he should not listen in on. "Gee, when's the wedding?"

"Hum," Boris grunted, shoving the phone back into his jacket. He turned towards the red-haired boy again.

"You want to get some coffee?" Yuri peered apologetically into the boy's eyes. "I know this place where recent break-upees eat and drink free."

Boris identified the let-me-pay-for-it-you-poor-thing tone, immediately. "Only if you let me pay for my own crap."

Yuri smiled. Boris' stomach flipped over again. "Da-amn, Boris," Yuri wagged a finger at him, "you're too clever for me." He stood, tugging gently on Arkadiy's leash to make the dog follow. All the lamps were lit now.

Boris and Yuri started down the path, with Arkadiy trailing along, towards the rainbow of colored signs on the main street.

"What can I say? I'm like a machine."

Fin


End file.
